Survey finds majority of people in Wales support gay marriage

A majority of people in Wales support extending marriage to same-sex couples, according to one of the first studies of attitudes in Wales

A majority of people in Wales support extending marriage to same-sex couples, according to one the first studies of attitudes in Wales.

Findings from the YouGov Living Together report, commissioned by gay rights organisation Stonewall Cymru – which marks its 10th anniversary this year – found that 62% of adults supported extending marriage to gay couple.

But the report also found that half of all people questioned acknowledged that prejudice still existed – with 114,000 people having witnessed homophobic bullying at work, and three-in-five seeing it in their own school.

Support for same-sex marriage rose to more than three quarters of Welsh adults under 50 now supporting the proposal.

The poll – of more than 1,000 adults in Wales – also found that more than two-thirds of people think religious attitudes were responsible for public prejudice against LGBT people in Wales, when it exists – with another 62% of people of faith agreeing with that view.

A total of 60% supported the principle of gay people being allowed to adopt.

Four in five believe it is right to tackle prejudice against lesbian, gay and bisexual people where they say it exists, while 85% believe that LGBT people should be able to be open about their sexuality, in any circumstances.

The study comes after evidence emerged that most local authorities in Wales didn’t have a record of incidents of homophobic bullying in schools.

A Freedom of Information request by Plaid Cymru revealed that only four in 22 held the information.

Politicians had also called for the issue of gay marriage to be left to Wales to decide in the wake of the UK Government’s publication of its equal marriage proposals, with Culture Secretary Maria Miller confirming it would be illegal for the Church of England and Church in Wales to carry out same-sex marriages.

Andrew White, director of Stonewall Cymru, said that the study was the first of its kind carried out in Wales.

He said in the wake of the survey: “We only have to look at the deeply offensive comments made about gay people by senior clerics recently – likening same sex relationships to polygamy, bestiality and child abuse, or comparing equal marriage supporters to Nazis – to see that prejudice is deep-seated in some disproportionately vocal quarters.

“Thankfully, this polling clearly shows, however loud these voices, their views are increasingly out of touch with modern Wales.

“As we mark our first decade in Wales we are mindful that there remains much work to be done to make sure that every one of Wales’ 184,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual people can live and work free from hatred, prejudice, and fear.”

There is also evidence that more than half of Assembly Members in Wales are in favour of same-sex marriage, with a total of 31 had signed up to a statement of opinion supporting the move, including 17 Labour AMs, 10 Plaid Cymru AMs, four Liberal Democrats and Suzy Davies from the Conservatives.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring equal treatment for

lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Wales.

“We believe no-one should be

denied opportunities because of their sexual orientation.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesman on equalities, Lindsay Whittle, said that the figures showed that the “vast majority” of Welsh people supported the right of gay people to marry.

“Attitudes in Wales towards people from the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community are overwhelmingly positive, and this is important to creating happy, integrated communities,” he said.

“We know that committed, stable relationships are good for the individuals involved, for children and for the wider society and that is why Plaid Cymru is working to create an inclusive and more equal Wales.

“The figures suggest that this is a Wales that the vast majority of people want to live in.”

Andrew Collinson, the spokesman for the Coalition 4 Marriage, said that the survey used a “rights-based” questioning which made it easy to achieve 62%.

“When you do more detailed polling and survey work, and set in context the rights already obtained by civil partnerships, then the figure completely turns around,” he said.

“And you then have 70% of the general population supporting the current definition of marriage.”

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